The Influence of Hippotherapy on the Body Posture in a Sitting Position among Children with Cerebral Palsy

Ewelina Matusiak-Wieczorek, Elzbieta Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk, Marek Synder and Andrzej Borowski
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Ewelina Matusiak-Wieczorek: Sports Medicine Institute, Social and Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
Elzbieta Dziankowska-Zaborszczyk: Epidemiology and Biostatistics Institute, Social and Preventive Medicine Department, Medical University of Lodz, 90-752 Lodz, Poland
Marek Synder: Orthopedics Department, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland
Andrzej Borowski: Orthopedics Department, Medical University of Lodz, 92-213 Lodz, Poland

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-9

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to assess the influence of hippotherapy (therapy with horses) on posture and body function among children with cerebral palsy. A case–control study included forty-five children aged 6–12 years, classified as Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level I or II, with spastic diplegia or hemiplegia. The participants were randomly divided into three groups: study I (n = 15), study II (n = 15) and control (n = 15). The children from the study groups attended 30min hippotherapy sessions for 12 consecutive weeks, twice (study group I) or once (study group II) a week. The Sitting Assessment Scale (SAS) was used. A comparison of SAS showed an improvement in almost all the assessed categories among the children who participated in hippotherapy. In study group I, statistically significant differences were noted in the assessment of head position control, arm function (in both cases, p = 0.012) and trunk control ( p = 0.005) and in study group II in the assessment of trunk control ( p = 0.028). Hippotherapy has a positive influence on the body posture and function of individual body parts in a sitting position among children with cerebral palsy.

Keywords: cerebral palsy; hippotherapy; postural control; balance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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